Banking customers offered free online fraud protection

Businesses signed up to a new initiative from internet security company Prevx will be offered free security software to protect against malicious banking trojans.

Banking, government and e-commerce sites have been offered the opportunity to sign up for a programme that will allow them to offer customers free security software called SafeOnline'.

This is meant to protect against threats that try and nab their financial details like Zeus and Sinowal, which have spread to thousands of computers. Prevx claims the technology protects PC users from banking threats such as phishing, DNS poisoning, screen grabbing, man-in-the-browser attacks and keylogging.

The software can be downloaded in seconds and is also supposed to complement the user experience and have no impact on the user experience.

Mel Morris, chief executive of Prevx, claimed that the technology cyber criminals used was more powerful than the vast majority of antivirus and security products on the market.

"Even if other security vendors had products that could address the problem, they would most likely charge business and government customers to deploy it," he said.

"We feel this creates an unnecessary barrier to addressing what are probably the most common online security threats affecting society today. Prevx SafeOnline is our approach to targeting the multiple faces of e-crime by giving all parties greater confidence in online transactions," he added.